Kosovo is disputed territory. The Kosovans say it's Kosovan, and the Serbians say it's Serbian. NATO intervention in 1999 was in favour of the former, and this is why Pristina has a big statue of Bill Clinton, standing under a big portrait of Bill Clinton, on Bill Clinton Boulevard; which, if you follow it all the way, takes a quick turn up Monica Lewinsky Alley. (OK that last bit isn't true).
Possibly not everyone knows that nails-on-blackboard warbler turned wry Twitter wit
James Blunt was formerly an officer in the British Army and played quite a significant role during that 1999 intervention. I mention him only because hearing one of his ghastly ditties in a bar has been just about the only unpleasant thing about my time here. Pristina is crowded, run-down, polluted and poor; but that's no reason not to visit. Some of the cafes here are as good as anything anywhere.
My one concrete gripe is the cashpoint machines. They all charge a flat withdrawal fee of 5 euros a go, and also they dish out ridiculously large notes. What, in the name of all that's holy, am I supposed to do with a 100-euro note, in a country where an espresso costs 80 cents and people suck their teeth if you try to change a five? More to the point, why do 100 and 200 and 500 euro notes even exist at all, other than to facilitate smuggling and money laundering?
I did eventually get rid of that 100 euro note by purchasing a pair of quite obviously counterfeit Converse trainers. We'll see how long they last.
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From my hotel room window.
The entrance to the American embassy at left, and FC Pristina playing at home in the distance. |
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| Double Bill (see above) |
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| Mother Teresa Cathedral |
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| The university of Pristina's library building |
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| Smog & traffic at sunset |
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| Christ the Saviour Cathedral |
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Edd vs Food #68
Pepper stuffed with beef & cheese, on mashed potato
At the Miqt Taverna |
